I-95 safety project set for spring

Courtesy of Ridgeland Police Department A three-vehicle wreck involving a tractor-trailer was one of the wrecks last year on Interstate 95.

Anthony Garzilli/Jasper County Sun Times The South Carolina Department of Transportation plans to begin the Interstate 95 tree-cutting project this spring, after permits are obtained and a contractor is hired.

The S.C. Department of Transportation says the fatality rate on the 33-mile section of Interstate 95 that runs through Jasper County is almost 50 percent above the state average.

From January 2007 to August 2015, there were 23 fatalities and 40 incapacitating injuries that involved vehicles striking trees.

After collecting those numbers, DOT conducted an analysis to determine what engineering solutions would be most effective in preventing fatal crashes. It has proposed a federally funded improvement project that is estimated to cost $7 million and be completed by spring.

The project will start at the Georgia border and continue to mile marker 33.

“This was one that came in on top of the list,” DOT engineer Brett Harrelson said last week at a public forum at Ridgeland Baptist Church. “Through our primary analysis, we identified that the primary cause for crashes in this corridor was leaving the roadway.”

To combat the high crash volume, DOT plans to add a clear zone and rumble strips to the median side of I-95. Rumble strips create a tactile vibration felt by drivers.

“Those serve as an alert to the motorist that they are about to leave the roadway,” Harrelson said. “So hopefully that will get people’s attention for whatever reason, whether they’re fatigued or distracted, and get those people back on the roadway.”

Clear zones are areas where drivers have room to regain control of a vehicle and safely re-enter the road. An undetermined number of tree will be removed from the side of the highway.

“That clear zone’s distance is determined by the speed of the traffic, the volume of the traffic and the slopes of the side of the roadway,” Harrelson said.

Before the DOT decided on tree removal, the project had to be federally evaluated to determine if it would cause irreparable harm to the environment.

“One of the solutions we considered was putting up guard rails in front of the trees,” Harrelson said.

“The challenge with that was it’s significantly more costly — about 25 percent higher cost. It also introduces an additional fixed object to the motoring public which will be closer to the road than the trees are right now.”

DOT is working on obtaining engineering permits to begin construction.